I often have a jar of these quick pink pickled onions sitting in the fridge – ready for topping everything from tacos to burgers.
If tangy condiments are life for you too try this mojo verde (spanish green sauce) or the chimichurri on this steak.
Table of contents
Why you’ll love it
These quick pink pickled onions take less than 5 minutes to put together, and are a wonderful accompaniment to burgers, tacos, hotdogs, fried chicken and rich beef meals – the list goes on.
It’s the perfect sweet and sour flavour combo and slight crunch to cut through bold flavours.
Ingredients for quick pickled onions
All good quick pickles need a few components to work. The base ingredients (in this case onion), acid, salt, sugar and flavour.
- Base: Red onions are the base here – the star of this easy pickle recipe.
- Acid: Apple cider vinegar.
- Flavour: Wholegrain mustard seeds
- Salt: regular table salt
- Sugar: I use caster (superfine) sugar. This way it dissolves just by giving it all a good shake. If you use granulated make sure to shake the mix very well to dissolve it or, heat the brine mixture without the onion first to dissolve it.
See substitution ideas below too.
How to pickle onions
- Grab yourself a clean preserving jar.
- Add everything to it, put the lid on and give it a good shake.
- Let them sit for at least an hour before serving.
Substitutions and variations
With this simple combination of flavours and an idea of ratios in mind, you can get creative making your own pickles in no time.
- Base: So many crunchy vegetables work. Try cauliflower or chillis for instance.
- Acid: Use malt vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar – there are so many to choose from. Different vinegars will require different amounts of sugar and salt though. Just adjust to taste.
- Salt: Try adding soy instead for a different salt or even flavoured salts.
- Sugar: You can swap out the white sugar and use brown or even use natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. If using a more granular sugar, like brown sugar, it’s best to heat the brine mixture until it dissolves.
- Flavour: There are so many ways to add flavour. Spices like star anise, cinnamon and cloves in their whole form. Or heartier ones like curry powder, mustard powder or cumin.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best vinegar for pickling
Types of vinegar that are good for pickling are;
- regular distilled white vinegar
- red or white wine vinegars
- malt vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- rice wine vinegar
You can also use citrus juices like lemon or lime in place of some of the vinegar.
How long do pickled onions last?
This is a quick pickle and will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight jar in the fridge. This particular pickle recipe is not made for long term storage.
What to do with pickled onions
Pickled onions are great served with bold flavours and fatty dishes since the acidity cuts through both. I’ve served them with all of these recipe and they worked a treat.
- Easy Fish Tacos
- Braised BBQ Beef Short Rib Tacos
- Easy BBQ Pulled Pork
- Karaage Chicken (Japanese Fried Chicken)
- Beef Shish Kebabs
- Grilled Flank Steak
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More recipes you’ll love
- Sundried Tomato Pesto
- Mojo Verde (Spanish Green Sauce)
- Chunky Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Olive Pesto
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Quick Pink Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar (notes 1 & 2)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon wholegrain mustard
Instructions
- Slice the onion fairly thinly and set aside.
- Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard to a clean preserve jar, screw on the lid and shake well to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Add the onion and give it a good mix.
- Chill for about an hour before using.
Notes
- I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon
- You can use regular granulated sugar but make sure to really shake the brine ingredients well to dissolve it. If it’s not dissolving, heat, stirring until it dissolves, before adding the onion.
- Calories are a based on 6 serves per cup.
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2 Comments on “Quick Pink Pickled Onions”
Oh I remember having this at my friend’s party, it was so good. I’ve been looking for a recipe like this. Thank you 🙂
Great on burgers or with rich meats